1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of marine safety equipment and in particular relates to a buoy that can be used to mark the location of a person who has fallen overboard from a boat so that the boat can turn around and return to rescue the person.
2. The Prior Art
There is a well-developed art relating to buoys and associated rescue gear, because the problem they solve is quite old.
Typical of the current state of the art are the Man Overboard Modules manufactured and sold by Survival Technologies Group. Their mark VII module includes an inflatable vest-type flotation device, an inflatable raft, a sea anchor, and a pylon. These items are stowed in a canister prior to use.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,707 issued Sep. 30, 1980 to Mariani, there is shown a marker buoy that contains an inflatable standard.
A telescopic pole for marking the position of a man overboard is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,441 issued Sep. 25, 1973 to Handelman. The telescopic pole extends from 4 feet in length to 18 feet in length under the action of centrifugal force when a user swings the pole in the process of throwing it into the water.
A marker buoy for use by flyers is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,470,783 issued May 24, 1949 to Mead. The buoy is secured to the airplane's fuselage and is released in response to hydrostatic pressure.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,476 issued Oct. 9, 1984 Howard shows a signal device consisting of a vividly colored inflatable tube that is permanently attached to a life jacket.
Buoys for marking the location of a diver are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,123,813 issued Nov. 7, 1978 to Adams and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,149,352 issued Sep. 22, 1964 to Christiansen.
From the above patents, it is apparent that most of the components for a rescue buoy are highly developed, such as inflatable masts, flotation vests, water-activated valves, etc.
Nevertheless, these components may never have an opportunity to serve their purpose if they are not properly packaged and instantly available for use on the boat. Thus, it is the packaging of these components that is the subject of the present invention, and the present invention is a very effective way of packaging those components.